African Cup put back until early 2024 to avoid washout fears

The next African Cup tournament will take place in early 2024 to avoid any potential washout during the host nation Ivory Coast's rainy season.

The executive committee of the Confederation of African Football (CAF) decided to switch the tournament, which was due to be played June-July 2023, to January and February of 2024.

It will be the second successive finals to take place in January and February following this year's event in Cameroon, which was rescheduled for similar reasons.

"We don't want to run the risk of having a competition that's going to be washed out," CAF president Patrice Motsepe said Sunday at a news conference in Rabat, Morocco, which is currently hosting the Women's African Cup. ''It's not good for African football, for our image and we have to work on that basis." In 2017, CAF announced its decision to move the finals to a summer slot to appease European clubs reluctant to release African players during their domestic seasons.